Naruto: Gun Dream
by Thayerblue1
Summary: A Naruto/Battle Angel Crossover. Takes place in the Battle Angel Alita Manga Universe during/after chapter 30. Featuring Uzumaki Naruto and Alita
1. Chapter 1

_**Naruto: Gun Dream**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Battle Angel Alita

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Having been a big fan of Battle Angel Alita since way back in the 90's I was surprised at how well the new movie turned out. This story was started before the movie and is based mainly on the manga. It was shelved because so few have even heardof the series till now. I updated it and added footnotes that reference things to minimize confusion but if you haven't read the manga then you will probably be lost. For those of you looking for additional information check out the Battle Angel Alita Wiki. The story starts in the original Battle Angel Alita series around/during chapter 30 which is about 9 years after the beginning of the series and the movie. All the years listed are both in E.S. (Era Sputnik) and C.E. (Common Era). Also, I'd like to thank **Flameraven**for his input on this story. Here is chapter 1 of **Naruto: Gun Dream**. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

**Chapter 1**

**Granite Inn, Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado, E.S. 586 (2542 C.E.) **

Professor Desty Nova was originally from the floating sky city Zalem*① above the Scrapyard (or Scrap Iron City). He is a highly eccentric, yet brilliant and creative genius who specializes in nanotechnology . The focus of his research is the study of karma (Karmatron Dynamics) which led him to pursue what can be considered hideous and inhumane experiments. He was cast out from the utopian society of Zalem due to his unorthodox and grisly research methods he undertook to unravel the universal components of karma. The one thing that remains certain is he holds his research in the highest regard above all else and will willingly sacrifice the lives of anyone to be able to further even the most trivial aspects of his studies….

….Which makes one wonder why _anyone_ was surprised that he was willing to experiment on the dead as well….

Nova was looking at his latest prize; the mummified remains of an ancient Warrior Chieftain from Japan that was the seventh to hold the title of Hokage, or _Fire Shadow_. Nova didn't know the man's actual name and didn't really care either. All the Professor _did_ know about the dead man was he was the ultimate warrior of his time period and that he possessed an energy called senjutsu that still circulated in the nearly perfectly preserved brain of the dead Hokage. Being the scientist and genius cyberphysician that he is; Desty Nova decided the still '_living_' brain of the ancient warrior was a worthy specimen for reconstruction.

"Kyahahaha! Let's see if you can overcome the ultimate karma –that of death itself!" cackled Nova. "You'll need a body worthy of a warrior of your stature as well….the question is what will you _do_ with it?" babbled the madman to the mummy of the Hokage. The Professor took a bite of flan and said "Mmmm….delicious!*②" before he started up a scanner to see how well the Hokage's brain would interface with the body that Nova was planning to use.

The Professor had been working on a prototype cyborg body he called _Imaginos_. It was based upon the body that the cyber warrior Alita once possessed called the Berserker body. Given Alita was one of the most dangerous warriors alive (if not _the _most dangerous) it seemed appropriate to Desty Nova to give this prototype body to the Hokage while he worked on an even more advanced Imaginos body for….future projects.

Using cutters; Nova quickly removed the senjutsu charged brain from the mummified body of the Hokage and injected it with masses of reconstructive nanomachines of his own creation. The goal was to grow a new body constructed of the modified Berserker body cells.

The computer showing the Hokage's brain soon was rattling off data.

_Limbic system….Brainstem 74%….Cerebellum 93%….Cerebral cortex 98%...Brain restoration 100%_

"Astounding!" said Professor Nova. "I could have made it work with only 50%. This brain is marvelously intact!"

_Nervous system…. Eyeballs 100%….Spinal nerves 100%….Peripheral nerves 100%...Fabrication 100%_

Nova took another bite of flan. "Outstanding! The new nervous system is already firing with senjutsu energy. The micro systems are completed. The karmitronic potential is unbelievable!"

_Bodily system….Organs 100%….Skeletal system 100%….Skeletal Muscles 100%….Circulatory System 100%….Fabrication 100%_

"The macro systems are nearing completion." pondered Nova. "Let's see what your appearance is Hokage….blonde hair, blue eyes, whisker like birthmarks. He has Asian facial features but the hair and eyes appear to be of Caucasian stock….Fascinating!"

It took full two hours to form the new Imaginos cyborg body for the Hokage. Desty Nova watched with rapt attention as every last detail was reconstructed. "This has been even more successful than I imagined. It's beautiful!" he thought aloud. Noticing the brainwaves were active but not conscious; the Professor wondered aloud, "What are you dreaming about Hokage?"

….

_Dreamscape…._

_Uzumaki Naruto was dreaming about his life in Konoha. It was all going by in a blur…._

_His first days as a genin...his trip with Jiraiya….The Fourth Shinobi War….His wedding day to his beautiful Hinata-chan….Boruto's birth….Himawari's birth….Becoming the Seventh Hokage…._

_Then Naruto remembered the sad day when Hinata passed away peacefully in her old age. He was so broken that he wanted to die with her. As it turned out he outlived her by twenty years thanks to the well known Uzumaki longevity. He lived to see his grandchildren and great grandchildren born. Even a great-great grandchild was born that was his namesake. When Naruto passed on himself he was well over 100 years old and simply went to bed one night. He never woke up….Naruto had a good life. He was satisfied. Now he could be with his beloved Hinata-chan once more….or could he? _

_Dreamscape end…._

….

Naruto's blue eyes fluttered open to the land of the living for the first time in over 1,000 years.*③ He slowly took in his surroundings and saw he was in some kind of medical laboratory. Then he saw a man with wild gray hair wearing a bizarre and elaborate pair of glasses. They looked almost like a ballroom mask to Naruto. Seeing the man was just staring at him with a strange smile on his face, Naruto said, {"Hello? Where is this place?"} in Japanese.

The Professor's smile widened and he said, "Marvelous! An old dialect of Japanese….Your brain should be able to understand modern English now thanks to my nanomachines. Can you understand me Hokage? Tell me your name. I'm Professor Desty Nova."

The blonde blinked and said, {"I can understand you Nova-sensei. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."}

Nova said patiently, "Try it again in English Naruto."

"Oh! I'm Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha Professor Nova." said Naruto. "Where are we?"

Desty grinned and said, "Excellent! We're in my lab in the Granite Inn. What's the last thing you remember?"

The Seventh Hokage paused and said, "I remember going to bed….I thought I died in my sleep….**WAIT A MINUTE! HOW AM I ALIVE?!**"

"Kyahahaha!" cackled the Professor. "You're alive because I brought you back to life Uzumaki Naruto! The Seventh Hokage was the mightiest warrior of his time period and now he walks the Earth once more!"

Naruto's blue eyes were the size of dinner plates. "You used Edo Tensei on me?!"

Nova laughed again and said, "I have no idea what this Edo Tensei is. I revived your brain and created a new machine body for you. Isn't it fabulous?"

The blonde sweat dropped….Then he looked at his hands. They were smooth like when he was young but were the color of polished steel. "What the hell…?" he whispered. _Then Naruto fainted_.

When the former Hokage came to; he had a billion questions about this '_machine body_' that he rattled off at mach speeds but Nova seemed quite pleased to brag on the Imaginos body….

….

"Your new body relies on nanomachines and mimics the human body down to the cellular level." said Professor Nova. "I created it. You are now a nanomachine based organism. I call your new body _Imaginos_."

Naruto was trying to figure out why he comprehended the term nanomachine and asked, "How do I know English and all this other stuff? What about Konoha?"

Nova took another bite of flan and cackled. "Kyahahaha! Don't sweat the details. I figured you'd need to know things to survive in this era so I installed the data when I revived you….As for Konoha, you died around 1,000 years ago so it has long since crumbled into dust." Then Professor Nova got a rictus grin on his face and said, "What to see your original body? It's _mummified_."

The blonde looked disturbed but then said, "Show me." '_I should be able to tell if I'm a thousand years old_….'

Professor Nova placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and pointed to a casket like box. He said, "Your original body is….right…._over_….**_there_**…."

Naruto gently got to his feet and crept over to the container. When he peered in he saw the shriveled up remains of his original body and gasped in horror. "_That's….me!_" he said hoarsely as he noticed the top of the skull was neatly sawed open.

"Kyahahaha!" cackled Nova. "This is all that's left of the original you Naruto! Fantastic isn't it? The only thing I could salvage was your brain which is marvelously intact. Any other questions?"

The orange loving blonde was shell shocked but a thought occurred to him, "You dug up my grave?!"

Desty suddenly was broken out of his train of thought and said, "Actually someone else did a long time ago….I stole your body from a museum."

"I was dug up and then stolen….then desecrated…." said Naruto in a flat tone. "Unbelievable…."

"Like I said; don't sweat the details!" said Nova in a chipper tone. "Karma has brought you here and now you must go forth and do what you have to do. Destiny awaits!"'

The Hokage said gravely, "I carve my own destiny."

Nova smiled eagerly and said, "I can't wait to see what path you forge then. There are whole worlds awaiting you…."

….

**Factory Farm 28, E.S. 588 (2544 C.E.)**

The beautiful cyborg warrior Alita had spent eight years working as a TUNED*④ Agent in the Badlands*⑤, hunting down rogues and criminals of all kinds. Gone were the glory days of Motorball and running around the Scrapyard. Now she was the first TUNED Agent and was codenamed A-1. Joining the Ground Investigation Bureau (G.I.B.) as an Agent had been a deal with the devil. Alita's life was spared but in exchange she was at Zalem's beck and call. Over time the dark haired cyborg woman had come to resent the G.I.B. and particularly their leader Bigott Eizenburg for his callous attitude towards her and the other surface dwellers.

Alita had sadly come to the point of viewing herself as little more than a slave and began to revel in combat and bloodlust as a means of drowning out her despair….Alita's own fatalist view of herself and her situation was eating away at the woman's soul. The sad but beautiful warrior had no idea what awaited her on the next mission….

The one thing Alita _did_ like about being a TUNED Agent was she had top notch gear. Her body armor was composed of a dark gray body suit with light green armor. The armor protected her torso, shoulders, upper arms and sides of her thighs. The rest of the armor consisted of a pair of knee-high armored boots. The body armor had a holster for a TUNED pistol and containers for the various supplemental weapons: arachno bombs, firefly support weapons, laser bug communication devices, lice probes and missile bees*⑥. She carried other standard weapons such as knives and grenades. Alita also had a special back holster for the Damascus Blade which was her close combat weapon of choice. Over all of this she wore a tan desert cloak for camouflage in the Badlands. Lastly, she had a TUNED rifle for this particular mission. It was a 12.7mm semi automatic battle rifle that was very useful against armored targets.

G.I.B. Chief Bigott Eizenburg sent Alita to Factory Farm 28 to look into what was going on. Her orders had been curt as usual from Eizenburg: "A-1, Go to Factory Farm 28 and investigate. The Farm has gone silent. Find the problem and deal with it. That is all." Alita was less than thrilled but received a set of printed orders that gave her some details to work with….

Farm 28 was located far north of the Scrapyard and was fairly isolated in the desert except for the train line that ran roughly north/south to the Scrapyard and Zalem. It went silent three weeks ago and all attempts to make contact with Farm 28 had failed. The main concern was bandits or terrorists had taken it over. There was also some fear that it was Barjack*⑦ revolutionaries but their area of operations was in the southwest rather than the north so that was unlikely. Regardless of who was responsible; Alita had a situation to resolve. She was a few miles south of Farm 28 when she hopped off her Mobile Unit (a single wheeled motorcycle) and was searching the settlement with a pair of binoculars for signs of a battle or some form of military force occupying the area.

That's when she saw some sort flag flying above the Farm that she did not recognize. '_That isn't the Factory's or Barjack's flag so whose is it?_' wondered Alita. '_It's blue with three white spears aimed horizontally across it. Did bandits take over? I guess the only way to find out is to enter the Farm proper_….' After checking her data computer she found no matches for the strange flag and decided to assume they were hostiles. Inspecting her combat gear over once more; the TUNED Agent crept forward stealthily….

….

Uzumaki Naruto had spent the last two and a half years on a personal training trip that ranged all over the Badlands regions formerly known as the United States and Canada. His nomadic life on the road had really opened his eyes to the true nature of the world. During his (relatively brief) stay at the Granite Inn two years ago he'd learned a great deal about Professor Nova and his deranged experiments. He'd also met Nova's lover/bodyguard Eelai who was (for lack of a better description) a morbid sex fiend. She had lamented more than once that it was such a shame that a man as handsome as Naruto was a cyborg because to her, _flesh is everything_. Getting away from that sick pair was not all that difficult as Professor Nova was very enthusiastic to see Naruto _forge his own destiny_ and sent him on his way.

The fact that Naruto had years and years of diplomatic experience as the Seventh Hokage was the _only_ reason he didn't attempt to take Nova's life for the sick experiments he conducted. Frankly, Nova reminded the blonde a bit of Orochimaru from his first life with the stuff he did. As much as Naruto felt he owed Nova for a new life and body; the blonde hoped to never interact with the insane Professor again….or Nova's girlfriend for all that matter. After that Naruto remastered his chakra and sage techniques which (to his shock) worked perfectly with his new cyborg body. It took almost a year and a half to do so. The blonde also desperately tried to contact the Toads and the Tailed Beasts to no avail. It left him in a state of depression for some time but Naruto decided that going to Japan (eventually) might provide him with some answers. Lastly, the blonde trained his new body to use the Gama Kumite*⑧ at speeds that he could never achieve as a flesh and blood human.

Naruto's appearance had changed quite a bit too. His hair was back to being the spiky blonde it had been when he was younger (for some reason it grew like real hair) and he had a very short tail tied in the back. Naruto's whisker marks had become more defined and took a metallic appearance. He changed his clothes as well. The vibrant orange, black and white were gone. In their place were tans and creams for desert camouflage and a tan cloak with a hood and goggles for protection during sandstorms. Weapon wise the blonde had multiple six pronged shuriken and throwing knives as well as a katana. Naruto found that virtually every bladed weapon known to man was exported from the Scrapyard (though he'd never entered it himself). Most of the former Hokage's heavy firepower was his jutsus although he was considering getting a sniper's rifle of some sort for hunting….

The spiky haired blonde made his living off of the land or sometimes bounty hunting when he needed larger amounts of cash. In his travels he got a flat black car left over from olden times*⑧ that he picked up from one of the Factory Farms. He used it to get around the Badlands even if it was in extremely weather beaten condition. As it happened Naruto was headed southwards towards Farm 28 to resupply when he noticed something odd. His sensory ninjutsu detected a huge amount of anxiety in the air around Farm 28 and he thought, '_What's with all the unease I'm sensing? I'd better find out_….' Then he noticed a blue and white flag above it. Naruto had seen the flag before out on the east coast that was outside Zalem's direct influence….A necropolis known as _The Core_….

….

Farm 28 was occupied by a group known as the _Scorched Earth_. The well armed faction of brigands was made up of cyborgs of various types. The leader of the group was a three meter tall cyborg named _Sherman_. He was olive colored with his arms decorated with four blue stripes painted horizontally around them. His lower body resembled a treaded tank like vehicle but from his torso up he looked like a human being wearing body armor and an army style helmet. Sherman was also perpetually smoking a cigar. Naruto slipped into town and spotted Sherman easily enough as he was twice the size of everyone else. '_All of them have those blue stripes but the more powerful ones have more stripes than the smaller ones. The majority of them have one stripe. Is it a ranking system?_' pondered the blonde.

"What have we here?" thundered a huge cyborg from behind a house Naruto was on. The cyborg was built like a coal burning stove with arms and legs. He was two meters tall and almost as wide. He had no visible head and had three blue stripes on his arms. Aside of that he was black. "It looks like someone is outside of their house when the Farm is locked down." he said.

The blonde sweat dropped, '_I was so busy eyeballing the stripes on these people that I missed this guy. I must really be getting sloppy in my old age_.' "What can I do for a walking coal bucket like you?" asked the ninja.

The cyborg growled, "I'm _Furnace_ dipshit. Your smart mouth just bought you a ticket to hell." he pointed his stubby arms towards Naruto and revealed a pair of flamethrowers. "**_Burn!_**" said Furnace as he unleashed a torrent of flame.

Everyone in Farm 28 saw and heard the belch of flame on the north end from a distance. '_What the hell is Furnace burning now?!_' thought the members of Scorched Earth.

….

Alita was at the south entrance to Farm 28 eying the two guards there. The dark haired warrior thought to herself, '_The people are locked down in their own homes so I can't just charge in with all guns blazing. It would put innocent lives at risk. It will have to be done surgically_.' She eyed the Damascus blade and thought smiling, '_Fortunately I have just the right tool for the job. Now if I could just distract them momentarily I can strike._' That's when she heard Furnace try to set Naruto aflame in the distance.

The two guards quickly turned around to face north. "What is Furnace up to now?" asked one.

The other shrugged and said, "I feel sorry for whoever made him mad. Think one of us should check?" He got no answer and looked at his buddy. His fellow guard's head was missing and blood was pouring out of his still standing body. The living guard's eyes widened in terror and he froze up at the grisly sight.

Alita appeared in a blur in front of him before taking his head too. She grinned at the sound of screaming and tearing metal on the north side of town. "It seems a fight has broken out. How convenient." she whispered under her breath. "Time to get to work…."

….

Furnace was missing an arm as he tumbled backwards it the street. The sphere of energy the blonde shoved into his left side shredded his thick armor like paper and his left arm and flame thrower were blown to smithereens. "_W-w-what the hell?"_ screeched Furnace. "My armor is bulletproof. How did you-?"

The blonde stood there with another rasengan forming in his hand. "He said, "There is always someone stronger than you coal bucket. You're going down for good."

Furnace was trembling but luckily for him several other members of Scorched Earth arrived and opened fire on the Hokage. Naruto seemed to blur out of existence and Furnace watched in disbelief as his squad started being blown away with fist size holes in them where their chest cavities had been. The cacophony of tearing metal and the screams and cries of the dying filled the black painted cyborg's ears. When Furnace stumbled to his feet he ran from the blonde demon and didn't look back….

Naruto saw Furnace run away screaming and considered chasing him for a split second. The blonde decided it wasn't worth it and thought, '_I need to drive these creeps out of the Farm_….'

….

Down in the south end bullets were flying everywhere as Alita hacked and slashed her way through the opposition. A larger cyborg with a rotary cutting blade tried to bisect the speeding girl but found his cutting blade and his arm attached to it were completely dismantled in a split second. He turned to try to find the TUNED Agent but three armor piercing rounds blew his head off before he could react any further. He hit the ground dead before Alita landed nimbly behind the wreck and holstered her pistol.

"Aren't you something girl?" said a female cyborg with six lanky legs tipped with blades. She had three stripes like Furnace did. She sprang at Alita lightning fast as the TUNED Agent drew her Damascus blade and flipped to the roof of a nearby building. The woman stood on her rear legs and lunged forward with her for front blades flying. Alita blocked or deflected all the blade strikes before flipping over the insect like cyborg and removed one of her rear legs with the Damascus blade. The woman stumbled but then righted herself and spun around to face Alita. "Damn you little bitch!" growled the woman as she launched another bladed assault on the TUNED Agent.

Alita spun and whirled about avoiding the flashing blades. The insect cyborg woman hissed as the dark haired warrior flipped onto the insect's back and smashed her to the ground with a brutal Panzer Kunst heel drop. The woman's body wasn't designed to take such punishment and the thin armored shell ruptured from the impact killing the Scorched Earth member instantly.

_'I'm making good progress but I can't allow them to take hostages!_' thought TUNED Agent A-1 as she tore into the fodder with her Damascus Blade….

….

The TUNED Agent and the blonde ninja busted into the central square of Farm 28 at the exact same time. Realizing she was also fighting the Scorched Earth; Naruto saw that Alita was about to get jumped from behind and launched three shuriken that slew her would be attackers. At the same Alita opened up with her pistol and fired high velocity rounds into some of Naruto's opponents….Alita flashed Naruto a savage smile. It was obvious she was enjoying herself amidst all of the carnage….

Scrap metal and blood were flying everywhere when Sherman rolled onto the scene crushing remains of the destroyed members of the Scorched Earth. He roared at the two speed demons, "_STOP RIGHT THERE!_ I don't know who you are but you won't survive crossing me! _Prepare to die!_" As he spoke a Gatling gun turret emerged from the top front of his tank like body. He rotated his body in the general direction of the two warriors who had stopped to size Sherman up.

Naruto sensed with his sage powers where Sherman's brain was and how many enemies were left. He whispered to Alita, "The enemy has cleared out to give their leader room. His brain is below the human shaped torso inside the tank body."

Alita thought, '_Does he have satellite support as well?_' "I can confirm that the Scorched Earth Members are pulling out and heading northwards. As for the leader's brain….I'll take your word for it." She grinned and said, "I'll take high to get rid of the 'human' body."

The blonde nodded. "I'll take low and disable the Gatling and then we can _both_ wreck the treads."

….They both vanished in blurs as Sherman opened fire with his Gatling gun.

Alita drew her Damascus Blade and leapt up on tank body to engage Sherman's upper body. He reacted faster than she anticipated and blocked with his own heavy sword. The pair locked blades for a split second before Sherman realized his sword was being scored and he turned it to deflect the Damascus Blade away from him. The dark haired warrior slid by in a shower of sparks as the upper body turned to face her. After three rapid strikes did little damage Alita said, "Missile bees -Fire!" and a small swarm of the cyborg missiles wreaked havoc on Sherman's upper body and riddled the tank hull with shrapnel.

Down on the ground Naruto was playing cat and mouse with the Gatling gun turret. Other than getting directly behind Sherman's tank body there weren't many areas Naruto could hide from the line of lead the Gatling was spraying all over. Finally deciding he'd had enough, Naruto attacked the stern of the tank body with a futon rasengan as soon as Alita jumped clear to let her missile bees do their job. Naruto's attack blew a tremendous chunk of armor off of the rear of the tank and exposed the engine powering the treads. The now damaged and smoking engine started spewing coolant and oil all over the place before it burst into flames and stopped running. The tank like cyborg stopped dead in his tracks as the power to his treads ceased to exist.

The now immobile Sherman was cursing up a storm as he tried to reroute his power systems so he could move again. The burning tank body was aflame from front to back by now and soon Sherman was screaming for help so his brain case wouldn't burn up. Alita and Naruto had no idea how to extract the brain case and twenty minutes later Sherman fell silent as his brain was broiled alive. The other members of Scorched Earth got the idea that their leader was dead and hastily retreated knowing they'd lost this battle….

….

"They're out of my sensory range." said Naruto.

Alita had been in contact with the G.I.B. and agreed. "All I can tell is the left headed east. I wonder where they are from."

"They're probably from _The Core_ on the other side of the Eastern Mountains." replied Naruto. "I saw that same flag out there before. I have no idea what they are doing out here though."

"_The Core_ huh?" pondered the dark haired cyborg warrior. "Oh! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Alita; what's your name?" she asked with a smile.

'_She's really cute_.' thought the blonde as he returned her smile with his own. "I'm Naruto; I guess you'd call me a bounty hunter and traveler of sorts."

Alita and Naruto shook hands. "You've got some serious skills Naruto." complimented the beautiful cyborg. "What kind of a fighting style is it you use? I've never seen anything like it."

The former Hokage replied, "It's called Gama Kumite. It's an ancient style from Japan. What style do you use Alita? You were incredible out there."

"It's called Panzer Kunst." answered Alita. "It's a cyborg specific martial art."

The cyborg pair was soon eagerly discussing martial arts in detail and generally having a good time talking about a bit of anything and everything….

….

By the next morning the people of Factory Farm 28 were out of their homes and the wreckage from the battle was being moved to a junk heap near the southern entrance to the farm. Mercifully, though the people there had been scared for their lives and several beaten up by the Scorched Earth, no one died and the injured were going to recover. The Scorched Earth's goal was unclear but they wanted Factory Farm 28 intact as well as the people there working. Whether or not it was a coordinated attack with others or a runaway group under Sherman was unclear. Hence the G.I.B. had called Alita….

….Chief Bigott Eizenburg was less than thrilled at the report from Agent A-1. On the one hand she'd done an admirable job (with outside help) taking on an army of cyborgs of unknown origin but at the same time a few had slipped through their fingers. Alita was at her Mobile Unit in contact with Zalem and was listening to her 'superior.' He said, "_You did an adequate job A-1. However, the threat of the Scorched Earth is not over and you didn't capture any of them to interrogate. We need to find out who they are and exactly what they want. What about this 'ally' you've acquired? Can you question him?_"

Alita frowned. '_Adequate job huh? Why I ought to_-' (Cough) "His name is _Naruto_ and I'm sure he would answer questions _without_ an interrogation Chief. Besides, he already told me he'd seen the Scorched Earth's flag before."

The G.I.B. Chief's eyebrows raised curiously and he asked, "_Did he say where he saw it…?_"

"Naruto said he saw it at a place called _The Core_ out past the Eastern Mountains." answered the beautiful cyborg.

Eizenburg turned a bit pale and said, "_The Core__ is a huge necropolis in the northeast. If you are to investigate then you'll need a guide. Is this Naruto character willing?_"

The dark haired warrior was secretly enjoying watching Eizenburg sweat. Putting on a doubtful face she said, "He's a pretty tight fisted type. Naruto's services won't come cheap." '_Hah! Naruto would probably go just for the adventure from what I can tell_.'

The G.I.B. Chief nodded to himself and said, "_This is a real threat to Zalem's security. It needs to be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Offer him triple the chips that we pay a standard mercenary but not one chip more_."

It took all of Alita's willpower not to break into a full blown smile. '_Turning the screws on Eizenburg is fun!_' she thought evilly. Taking a somber tone she said, "I'll do my best Chief."

"_Make sure you do A-1._" said Bigott wondering how he was going to justify the expense to his superiors. He signed off.

….

Alita went back into Factory Farm 28 with a silly grin on her face. '_Hopefully Naruto will come along just to travel. I think we could have some fun together adventuring. Of course offering him an obscene amount of chips won't hurt…_.'

She soon found Naruto outside the local vehicle and machinery repair place getting his car looked at. She found the old black V-8 powered vehicle somehow fit Naruto's free spirited personality. Given they were considered heroes by the locals; Naruto was offered supplies and a tune up for free. He'd offered to pay for it but the people of Farm 28 wouldn't hear of it. Likewise Alita had been treated like a queen. However, she had other things on her mind right now; a certain blonde cyborg for instance….

Alita waved down the former Hokage and smiled when he waved back happily. "Hey Naruto; I have another job to do." said the beautiful cyborg. "Want to tag along? The pay is good and the company isn't bad either."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me about this job Alita…."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: Zalem was known Tiphares in the original English translation for those of you unfamiliar with the name. It is located approximately over Kansas City in the states of Missouri and Kansas.

*②: Professor Desty Nova is **_obsessed_** with flan in the manga.

*③: I just rounded off the timeframe to 1,000 years. The current year is E.S. 586 (2542 C.E.) and I'm placing the Shinobi Era during the Warring States Period of Japan (Circa 1467 C.E.-1600 C.E.)

*④: TUNED is an elite force of agents created and overseen by the Zalem Ground Investigation Bureau (G.I.B.) which carried out various missions on the Earth's surface, as people of Zalam faced exile if they left the floating city.

*⑤: The Badlands is an umbrella term for the vast desolate and sparsely inhabited desert surrounding the Scrapyard. Other than the Factory Farms and bandit bases, no other settlements are shown to exist in the Badlands. Bandits are a constant threat, requiring travel to be made by convoy.

*⑥: All of these weapon's descriptions are on the Battle Angel Alita Wiki. Suffice it to say describing them all in detail here would take a whole chapter by itself.

*⑦: The Barjack is a rebel army whose objective is to destroy Zalem and with it, the Factory and the Scrapyard. They initiated a large scale revolt, the Barjack War, which raged from ES 585 to present.

*⑧: Toad Style Taijutsu

*⑨: This is based on the V8 Interceptor from the movie Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. (It fit right in to the whole post apocalyptic desert image and besides; how many times do you get the opportunity to give Naruto a hot rod?)

Well, that lays down the basic premise. **_NeonZangetsu_** also wrote a Battle Angel/Naruto crossover based on the movie. I haven't read it yet but I'm sure it's good. Anyway, hopefully this one will take off. If it doesn't I'll eventually put in my One Shot file. I'm rereading the original Battle Angel Alita manga and The Last Order manga to brush up my knowledge. I don't have Mars Chronicles yet but I plan to buy them eventually. See you next time. Blue out. 3/16/19


	2. Chapter 2

_**Naruto: Gun Dream**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Battle Angel Alita

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This story seems to have been successful so I decided to continue it. There are still a lot of footnotes at the bottom but given the technical nature of Battle Angel they are kind of necessary. Here is chapter 2. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

Last time:

_"….he already told me he'd seen the Scorched Earth's flag before." _

_The G.I.B. Chief's eyebrows raised curiously and he asked, "__Did he say where he saw it…?__"_

_"Naruto said he saw it at a place called __The Core__ out past the Eastern Mountains." answered the beautiful cyborg._

_Eizenburg turned a bit pale and said, "__**The Core**__ is a huge necropolis in the northeast. If you are to investigate then you'll need a guide. Is this Naruto character willing?"_

_The dark haired warrior was secretly enjoying watching Eizenburg sweat. Putting on a doubtful face she said, "He's a pretty tight fisted type. Naruto's services won't come cheap." '__Hah! Naruto would probably go just for the adventure from what I can tell__.'_

_The G.I.B. Chief nodded to himself and said, "__This is a real threat to Zalem's security. It needs to be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Offer him triple the chips that we pay a standard mercenary but not one chip more__."_

_It took all of Alita's willpower not to break into a full blown smile. '__Turning the screws on Eizenburg is fun!__' she thought evilly. Taking a somber tone she said, "I'll do my best Chief."_

_"__Make sure you do A-1__." said Bigott wondering how he was going to justify the expense to his superiors. He signed off._

_…._

_Alita went back into Factory Farm 28 with a silly grin on her face. '__Hopefully Naruto will come along just to travel. I think we could have some fun together adventuring. Of course offering him an obscene amount of chips won't hurt….__' _

_She soon found Naruto outside the local vehicle and machinery repair place getting his car looked at. She found the old black V-8 powered vehicle somehow fit Naruto's free spirited personality. Given they were considered heroes by the locals; Naruto was offered supplies and a tune up for free. He'd offered to pay for it but the people of Farm 28 wouldn't hear of it. Likewise Alita had been treated like a queen. However, she had other things on her mind right now; a certain blonde cyborg for instance…._

_Alita waved down the former Hokage and smiled when he waved back happily. "Hey Naruto; I have another job to do." said the beautiful cyborg. "Want to tag along? The pay is good and the company isn't bad either." _

_Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me about this job Alita…."_

_…._

**Chapter 2**

**Factory Farm 28, E.S. 588 (2544 C.E.)**

Alita was sitting on a fuel drum swinging her feet beside the repair shop talking to Naruto who was standing and learning against the building proper. She was explaining her 'little road trip' to investigate the whereabouts and strength of the _Scorched Earth_. "So basically you've been sent on a long range recon mission with no directions and no backup so your boss in Zalem wants you to hire a guide." said Naruto.

The beautiful cyborg woman nodded. "That's the general idea. What do you say? It could be fun and I think we make a good team." Then she grinned ferally and added, "I'll bet there will be some serious battles too."

Naruto smiled. "Well, as long as my expenses are covered why not? Besides; how could I say no to such charming company?"

She laughed. "Expenses are no problem. I've been authorized to offer you up to three million chips….and since you are _so_ hard hearted and drove _such_ a hard bargain I was _forced_ to give up every last chip."

The blonde's eyes widened. "That's a king's ransom! Are you sure?"

Alita grinned evilly. "I'm spending my boss's money so why should I care? If I can make you rich in the process then why not enjoy the ride? Besides, we _are_ risking our lives in hostile territory."

The former Hokage chuckled. "Walking down the road is _risking your life_ in the Badlands….I like the way you think Alita."

The petite woman brightened up and said, "You'll do it then?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, why not? It could be fun."

"Great!" exclaimed the dark haired warrior. "I'll inform the Chief you're on board."

"Tell him I want half the chips in advance as a show of good faith." said the blonde. "He'll probably get his panties in a real twist then."

Alita laughed and said, "I'll see what I can do…."

….

Agent A-1 was trying to keep from busting a gut as she said in a defeated voice, "Naruto says he wants three million chips total and half of it in advance as a show of good faith. I took me hours to argue him down to that."

Bigott Eizenburg nearly wet himself. "_One point five million in advance? That's outrageous! I….I….(__Ahem__). Tell this Naruto one million in advance and not one chip more." '__This surface dweller needs to know his place_.'

"All right Chief; I'll see what I can come up with." said Alita forlornly. '_One million chips in advance?! Bwahahaha!_'

Alita walked over from her mobile unit to the bar in Farm 28 that the blonde was waiting for her in. Naruto raised his eyebrows in question as the petite woman came in and sat down with him. She said, "Three million total but only one million in advance."

The former Hokage got an evil grin on his face and said, "Let me buy the lady some dinner. I reckon letting your boss stew a bit will make him think you're working really hard. Then you can tell him I accept his offer."

"Pffft!" laughed the TUNED Agent. "You should have seen Chief Eizenburg's face when I told him you wanted money in advance. He got so out of sorts he was stuttering!"

Naruto and Alita sat back and enjoyed a nice dinner and drinks while Eizenburg chewed his fingernails up in Zalem. After that the dark haired woman went back over to her Mobile Unit and called the Chief. "It took a while but Naruto agrees to your terms Chief Bigott. One million in advance and an additional two million after the mission is complete."

The G.I.B. Chief said under his breath, "_Thank God_." Then he growled, "What took you so long A-1?"

Alita acted as if she didn't hear Bigott's first comment and said, "I had to convince Naruto over a few drinks to loosen him up."

Eizenburg looked surprised and said, "I had no idea you were so capable with your feminine wiles A-1"

The beautiful cyborg warrior hissed, "That's _not_ in my job description." in a tone cold as death. '_You dumb son of a bitch_.'

"My mistake." replied the Chief hastily.

….

The next day Naruto's car was still being worked on and the two cyborgs were north of town sparring to get a feel for each other's moves so they could work as an effective team. Alita said, "Let's go hand to hand only; no weapons." She hit the quick release on her TUNED Armor leaving her in her dark gray body suit and light green armored boots.

"I agree; there is no need to tear up the landscape." said Naruto as he quickly removed his combat equipment which left him clad in a cream colored shirt and pants along with tan army style boots. He had a combat mesh body suit below his clothing. "Ready when you are." said the blonde.

They both took their opening stances and Alita nodded. She got a feral smile and roared, "**_Begin!_**"

Then Naruto seemed to explode with power leaving the dark haired warrior in shock. Alita suddenly found herself smothered in a wave of killing intent like she'd never experienced before. Her knees were buckling under the weight of Naruto's presence. For the first in time in many years fear was overpowering her. It sparked a memory buried deep in the petite woman's psyche. She remembered a woman that had a profound impact on her childhood…. '_Gelda, my Panzer Kunst Master….What was it she told me about fear…?_'

As if to answer from the past; Gelda's voice said, "_Keep this in mind….__**Real **__danger isn't facing the fiercest enemy….No; the gravest danger is being overcome by your __**own**__ fear. Even if you face something you can't comprehend….__**Accept it!**__ Calmly __**observe**__….and __**secure**__ your __**position!**_"

The beautiful warrior smiled and thought, '_Naruto is overwhelming me with the sheer power of his aura! Magnificent! I have to push his back with my own_.'

Naruto watched as his lovely opponent stabilized and started powering back his killing intent with her own. He smiled and thought, '_There you go Alita; that's the way. You just have to learn to do it instantly_.'

Fierce blue eyes locked with fiery brown ones and the two exploded into action….

….

Alita and Naruto were both huffing and puffing from exertion after their extended spar. The dark haired warrior wiped the sweat*① off her brow and said, "You are even tougher than I thought Naruto. I didn't have to hold back at all!"

Naruto smiled and praised, "You and your Panzer Kunst are amazing Alita. It was if you became stronger as our fight went on. Though we weren't using weapons I can see how good you are. I got pushed to the limit….We're going to be a great team!"

The beautiful cyborg nodded happily. "I guess if we went all out we might end up damaging our soft machine*② bodies. I'd have to call Zalem for repairs and I assume with your body being at least as advanced as mine you couldn't get it fixed just anywhere."

"That's the truth." said the former Hokage. "The only person that can fix this body is an evil madman that I hope to never see again."

Alita looked surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I was dead and buried for centuries when an insane Professor named Desty Nova stole my body from a museum and brought me back to life as an experiment." replied Naruto in a haunted tone. "My original body was _mummified_ so he took my brain out and gave me a new body. He is a sick and deranged man that experiments on others and has no respect for life. I should have killed him and his girlfriend when I had the chance…."

The petite warrior's brown eyes burned with vengeance and she said, "Desty Nova was responsible for the _death_ of a man that was like a Father to me….He said he'd bring him back but….**_I want to destroy Nova with every fiber of my being!_**"

Naruto looked at her sadly and said, "I'm sorry Alita; I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. Obviously I hit a sore spot. For what it's worth I'd like to see him dead myself."

"Do you know where he could be now?" asked the TUNED Agent hopefully.

"It's been over two years but at the time he was in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in a place he called the Granite Inn." answered the blonde. "Who knows where he is now."

She sighed and smiled sadly. "It seems that we have more in common than I realized Naruto."

….

**Scorched Earth's Camp northeast of Farm 28**

Furnace stood talking to one of the local bandits named Prospector that had provided intelligence information to Sherman's Brigade of the Scorched Earth before they took over Factory Farm 28. Furnace currently had a metal plate riveted over the area where his left arm had once been courtesy of Naruto. The old bandit whistled when he heard the description of Alita. The rotund cyborg wondered what that was about but Prospector said, "Count your lucky stars Furnace. I don't know who the blonde guy was but the dark haired woman sounds like _The Angel of Death_. You and your remaining men are very fortunate to be alive."

The black painted cyborg asked in a sarcastic tone, "_The Angel of Death?_ Isn't that name a bit over the top?"

Prospector shrugged. "All I know is there's an Agent from Zalem that is known by that name….Considering what happened to Sherman and your men it sounds like her doing."

"What can you tell me about this woman?" asked the one armed cyborg. '_Any bit of information will help_.'

"Well, I'm not superstitious but rumor has it that merely talking to her will take a year off of your life." said the informant. "Usually when hunter-warriors are too afraid of a target to go after it she comes in and does the job. No one seems to know what her real name is….A lot of it is propaganda I'm sure but she's still incredibly dangerous."

"What about the blonde cyborg?" asked Furnace. "Is he her partner or something?"

The old bandit scratched his chin and said, "I've got nothing on him. It sounds like he was using plasma though. That's the only thing I could think of that would blow armor like yours or Sherman's away except for heavy artillery…."

Furnace and the old Prospector spoke for some time before the black painted cyborg handed over a bag full of chips in exchange for the information and the informant went on his way.

'_The Angel of Death huh?_' thought Furnace. '_We have enough issues without tangling with her or the blonde again. I guess we should start marching back to the Core_….'

….

**Factory Farm 28**

The next morning Naruto was checking his car out for the long range road trip that he and Alita were going on. The mechanics had done a top notch job. The blonde thanked them and said, "You guys do excellent work! I'll know who to talk to when I'm in the area. Thanks a million guys!"

The head mechanic chuckled. "It's the least we could do for you Mister Naruto. You and Miss Alita saved our lives after all. I was shocked at what good shape this old car's in. You must take really good care of her."

Naruto grinned as he patted the roof of the car. "The Interceptor works hard for me so the least I can do is return the favor. Besides, there aren't that many vehicles out there that can match this car's top speed. I've outrun more than one bandit group."

"Interceptor?" asked another mechanic. "Is that what you call her? That's a good name."

The blonde explained, "I didn't name it. The guys down at Farm 14 in the south used it for joyriding and called it Interceptor. They said it was originally a law enforcement vehicle but who knows? I bought it fairly cheap and had them restore it over about six months. I've been driving around with it I the Badlands ever since."

….

Alita was at her Mobile Unit talking to G.I.B. Chief Eizenburg about the support the Ground Investigation Bureau could provide during the trip. Bigott explained, "You should have full support including Gabriel*③ until you reach the Eastern Mountains. After that the communications will be spotty at best so consider yourself on your own at that point. Gabriel can't deliver items to you on the other side of the Eastern Mountains without risking the vehicle which we cannot do."

"So they have anti aircraft equipment on the eastern side of the mountains." surmised Alita.

Eizenburg nodded. "That is correct A-1. We've lost a lot of unmanned aerial vehicles trying to map the area in the past. Those drones were expendable unlike Gabriel."

"Understood Chief." said the TUNED Agent. "When I reach the edge of Gabriel's safe zone I'll be sure to load up on supplies and gear."

"All of the territory east of the mountains was completely submerged after Geo Catastrophe in E.S. 55*④, *⑤ so the terrain is quite different from the territory in the Badlands." said the G.I.B. Chief. "The area was heavily industrialized up to that point so you may run into areas much like the Scrapyard. It is difficult to say."

"I'll just have to adapt once I get there then." said Alita. "A-1 out…."

"G.I.B. Control out…." acknowledged the Chief.

….

Naruto finished packing the supplies and weaponry inside the back seat of the Interceptor and turned to Alita. "We're ready to go." said the blonde. "It's packed pretty tight but I think we can manage."

The petite warrior smiled. "If you can fit comfortably then it will be no problem for me. Shame the Mobile Unit won't be useful on the other side of the mountains. Your car isn't quite as all terrain as it is."

The former Hokage nodded. "Believe it or not there is a lot of highway on the other side of the mountains. It's not in the best condition but we'll be able to travel easily enough."

"Are there bandits?" asked Alita. "I wouldn't want it to get boring after all."

The blonde nodded. "They infest both sides of the mountains. We'll see plenty of action. Up north there is a clan of cyber ninjas*⑥ as well….They know me so we'll resupply there."

The dark haired woman asked curiously, "You know a clan cyber ninjas? They are generally pretty antisocial types. How did you fall in with them?"

Naruto grinned. "I had an argument with them….suffice it to say I earned their respect."

Alita smile viciously. "How many of them died…?"

"I lost count." answered the former Hokage noncommittally. "I do have free passage through their territory though."

The beautiful cyborg just laughed….

….

_After saying their farewells at Farm 28; the two adventurers hit the road and headed east_….

….

**Badlands**

Several days later Naruto and Alita were at a small, hidden settlement called Pit Stop to resupply and refuel the car. The blonde was talking to one of the locals after paying them for the supplies. A younger man fueling the Interceptor said to the former Hokage, "It looks like an entire armored division from the east was destroyed on the highway about a hundred kilometers east of here Naruto. It happened about three weeks ago. We don't know what wiped them out but you should be careful if you're headed that way."

Alita raised her eyebrows, "Whose tanks were they?"

"Hmmm….well, I'm not too sure." said the young man. "I just can't place them…."

Naruto dropped some chips in the man's hand and said, "For the orphanage."

The young man grinned and said, "Thank you for your patronage." _Alita rolled her eyes_. "Oh yes, the armored vehicles belonged to the _Steel Wheels Group_. We don't know what wiped them out. It's even got the _Salvagers_ spooked. They said it looked like a _monster_ did it but who knows…?"

"Where can we find these Salvagers?" asked the petite woman.

The man looked expectantly at her but Naruto said, "I know where to find them Alita."

….

After they refueled and got in the car Alita asked, "Why didn't you just interrogate that guy instead of paying him?"

The blonde chuckled and said, "Because the refueling point there is the only one in a two hundred kilometer radius. It pays to have good relations….That and they actually do have an orphanage." He put the Interceptor in gear and said, "They hired me to hunt down a guy who ransomed a couple of children. Believe it or not they are honest folks."

"What happened to the kids?" asked the dark haired warrior curiously.

"I rescued them and executed the guy." replied Naruto. "The two little girls were shaken up but I got them back to the Pit Stop safely. It was quite a little adventure. It's a shame we didn't have time to visit them."

Alita smiled and said, "You're actually a nice guy deep down Naruto."

"Was there ever any doubt?" asked the blonde with a chuckle.

The petite woman thought to herself, '_It's so rare I meet good people that sometimes I forget they exist_….'

….

As the two cyborgs rolled along Alita noticed that Naruto seemed to know where to find the ancient highways so they were making good time. She was quietly admiring his spiky blonde hair and profile and thought, '_I guess I just never noticed before but Naruto is rather handsome. I wonder what he thinks of me_….' That was when Naruto suddenly started slowing down with a frown on his face. The dark haired beauty asked, "What's wrong Naruto?"

The blonde said, "That thunderhead in the distance doesn't look natural. There is lightning all over the place and it's glowing purple. Let's stop and check it out from here."

'_Damn, I was so busy looking at Naruto that I didn't even notice the weather_.' thought Alita as she blushed embarrassed. She called the G.I.B. and said, "A-1 to base, I need a weather confirmation at Longitude 41.0793° North, Latitude 85.1394° West*⑦."

"_You are looking at a radioactive thunderstorm with rain, hail and 40 kilometer per hour wind gusts….reason unknown_…." replied the weather controller.

"Great…." said Alita as the Interceptor rolled to a halt. "I guess we'll have to wait it out."

The two cyborgs got out of the car and Naruto pulled two sets of binoculars out. Handing one to Alita he said, "There's our demolished tank division on the road outside of town. They are too far away to make out specific details though."

The pair waited for an hour watching the strange weather system and the TUNED Agent said, "That storm hasn't moved a single _centimeter_ in the last hour. Something local must be _holding_ it in place."

The petite warrior got back on her communicator. "A-1 to base, referencing the radioactive storm at Longitude 41.0793° North, Latitude 85.1394° West. Has it moved _at all_ in the last hour?"

The weather controller answered, "_Stand by A-1….There appears to be a local manipulation of the weather patterns. Zalem Weather Control*⑧ cannot account for it. Transferring you over to G.I.B. Chief Bigott_…."

Alita groaned in dismay and seconds later Bigott Eizenburg came on the line. "_A-1, you are to investigate the cause of the unusual weather patterns blocking your path and deal with it appropriately. Someone is trying to control the weather in direct defiance of Zalem's will and could pose a threat to Zalem security. That is all_."

Face palming, the dark haired woman said, "A-1, acknowledged." Naruto looked at his lovely companion questioningly and she said, "Looks like I have to go into the storm and figure out whatever is causing it….and then shut it down."

The blonde said, "I'll drive us down there. Once the car is secured we can check it out."

She smiled and replied, "You don't have to come unless you just want to."

"And wait out here bored while you have all the fun?" asked Naruto. "I think not!"

Alita laughed at Naruto's antics and the pair got back in the Interceptor before racing down to investigate the storm system.

….

After securing the Interceptor outside of the necropolis under a camouflage tarp, the cyborg pair entered the storm proper wearing ponchos for a bit of weather protection. The wind followed a very specific pattern and the gusts seemed to be timed every five minutes or so. As they passed the multiple wrecked tanks they saw that armored vehicle looked as if they'd been ripped apart by a giant set of clawed hands. There was evidence of pinpoint lightning strikes on individual vehicles as well. It looked like something truly _massive_ had destroyed them.

That's when both Alita and Naruto heard a thunderous voice booming over the noise of the buffeting winds….

"**Bored, bored, bored! I've been sitting here for days and nothing has happened since the tanks attacked. I'm soooo booored!**" said the voice. There was a sound of massive footsteps coming towards them.

The dark haired warrior looked back at Naruto and he motioned to a nearby building. The two cyborgs slipped inside and Alita said, "At least we can hear each other over the noise of the storm in here."

The former Hokage nodded. "Let's look out through the busted windows on the far side and see if we can spot something."

As Alita and Naruto made it through the wrecked building they could hear the thundering voice complaining nonstop about being bored and finally saw something….

"It looks like a cybernetic Cyclops with two camel humps!" exclaimed the blonde. "It must be ten meters tall….and look at those claws!"

Alita looked at the vaguely humanoid thing and then narrowed her eyes at the two humps. There were lightning bolts of electricity travelling between the two humps and she said to Naruto, "Those humps on his back are massive Tesla coils. They are what allow him to control the weather." Her brown eyes narrowed. "We have to take him out."

Naruto nodded and the two formulated a plan. Alita said, "He only has one big eye. It's an easy target to take out. Once we've blinded him he'll be a much easier target."

"I agree." said the blonde. "I'll move around behind him and hit him with a rasenshuriken in the back. That should damage one or both of the coils."

The beautiful warrior asked, "That's the huge 'jutsu' you throw right?"

The former Hokage grinned, "That's the one. When you see me light up you'll know I'm about to fire off my jutsu. Then you take the shot from here with your rifle and take out his eye.

"Sounds like a plan." she said with a feral smile….

….

Alita pulled the TUNED rifle off her back and took aim at the monstrous cyborg's eye while Naruto activated his sage mode in order to form a rasenshuriken. The beautiful warrior saw the telltale glow from Naruto's position through the rain and the giant started slowly moving in reaction to the blonde's presence. "**What ****_is_**** that?**" asked the huge Cyclops cyborg as its single eye widened.

Naruto was directly behind the monster and yelled, "**_Rasenshuriken!_**" over the roar of the storm as he released the colossal jutsu.

The Cyclops made to turn around when Alita took her shot and blew its massive eye out. The weather controlling monster covered its face and roared in anger from the pain of losing its eye. Then the rasenshurken hit the rear hump on its back and blew the massive Tesla coil within to a billion pieces. This caused a massive electrical chain reaction that sent lightning everywhere as it arced up and down the behemoth's body. It started screaming in agony as the second Tesla coil exploded from the feedback. A pod ejected from the monster's head and the giant cyborg exploded laying waste to several buildings. When the smoke cleared Alita clearly saw Naruto waving her on and she took off in pursuit of the pod….

The beautiful warrior saw where the pod had crash landed and ran towards it. The pod opened and a conventional man sized cyborg climbed out. He was stumbling about from the shock of the hard landing. The minute Alita came into rifle range she kneeled and took aim at the cyborg's center of mass and shot the body in half at the torso. Then the TUNED Agent walked over to the top half of the cyborg and said with a smile, "It seems that today is not your day is it. Who are you?" She noticed he had two blue stripes on his arms and added, "I know you're from the Scorched Earth at least. Are you a rearguard for that group that retreated from Factory Farm 28?"

"I'm Tungsten of the Sherman's Brigade! I'm going to kill you bitch!" he shrieked. Then Alita removed his head from his wrecked body by unlatching it. "W-w-what are you doing?!" he squealed fearfully.

"Your head is all I need for questioning." said the petite woman. She looked up and saw the storm was dissipating. "Well what do you know; sunlight."

Naruto came strolling up a few minutes later and asked, "Did you get him?"

Alita held up the screeching, disembodied head. "He's a defiant one." said the dark haired woman.

"He'll be singing like a bird soon if he values his existence." replied the blonde….

….

**Scorched Earth's Camp**

Furnace was listening to one of his Lieutenants. "Our monitor signal from Tungsten just flat lined sir….Tungsten is dead."

The one armed cyborg sighed. "Tungsten took out an entire _division_ of armored fighting vehicles virtually bare handed with that monstrous Cyclops body of his. He could even control the weather. What could have possibly defeated him?"

"Maybe it was the _Angel of Death_." said one of his men worriedly.

Furnace growled, "I'll hear no more superstitious talk about her! Are you fighting men or frightened children?" His men straightened up but Furnace was worried. '_Maybe it actually __**was **__the so called __**Angel of Death**__…._'

….

**Naruto and Alita's Camp**

It was close to midnight. Naruto and Alita were sitting beside the Interceptor looking up at the night sky. The lovely cyborg said, "It's a shame that idiot Tungsten didn't know anything pertaining to our mission out east other than his unit was supposed to take Factory Farm 28. I guess killing him was probably better than turning him over to the G.I.B. That would have been a fate worse than death….But then again he knew about weather control technology and that alone made him dangerous." She shook her head. "This whole deal leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Naruto looked over at Alita and said, "Any time you are a scout travelling into unknown territories you are bound to face uncertainty. Sometimes your side is in the right but sometimes they are in the wrong. That weather control technology is dangerous in the wrong hands but who are we to judge? If you hadn't executed him Zalem would have eventually."

The TUNED Agent looked at Naruto and saw a glimmer of something ancient in his blue eyes….She saw it in her own brown eyes every time she looked in the mirror….Eyes that had seen countless battles and still kept going….

"Naruto, where were you born?" asked the petite woman.

The blonde looked surprised for a moment and then smiled softly. "I was born in a place called Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves in Japan. It was a good place to live but it's gone now. What about you Alita? Where were you born?"

Alita pointed towards a red point in the sky floating serenely among the stars. "I'm pretty sure I was born on that red dot….Mars…."

Sitting under the starlight; the two tired warriors said no more. The peaceful noises of the night in the desert were all they needed….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: While it doesn't make much intuitive sense; cyborgs in Battle Angel Alita sweat and breathe heavily from time to time. I'm going with the assumption that their machine bodies do so because they are mechanical organisms that function much like the human body does.

*②: Soft Machine: A nanomachine body that mimics a living organism. At least in this story it can mimic most human functions. Both Alita's TUNED body and Naruto's Imaginos body would qualify as soft machine types.

*③: Support System Gabriel is a large aerial vehicle with a white colored body and four blue colored wings. It is large enough to transport the mobile unit in its cargo bay. Containing various sensor arrays and a high definition laser, it serves as a communications link and transport vehicle to deliver weapons, supplies, and equipment from Zalem to Alita.

*④: Geo Catastrophe: The event occurred in E.S. 55 (2012 C.E.). The Geo Catastrophe began with a massive meteor impacting off the coast of Japan. The impact instantly destroyed the country with massive tsunamis radiating outward that would devastate coastal areas all around the world. The dust raised from this would plunge the planet into an ice age that would persist past E.S. 127 but seems to have ended by E.S. 173. Naruto is aware of Japan's destruction which is why he has not made an attempt to return to Asia.

*⑤: As a side note Naruto's original body was recovered an put in a museum before the Geo Catastrophe and thus survived the disaster.

*⑥: Cyber ninjas are first seen in Battle Angel Alita Volume 7. As she seemed very familiar with them I assume they are not that unknown at least in TUNED circles.

*⑦: Approximately where Fort Wayne, Indiana once was. A necropolis by E.S. 588.

*⑧: Weather Control: Using giant Tesla coils located in three bulges on the lower part of Zalem, Weather Control uses electromagnetic waves to control the weather around and even away from Zalem and can manipulate weather patterns at great distances.

Okay, so Alita is having flashbacks of her Panzer Kunst Master, Gelda and Mars. In the manga Alita didn't start remembering her life on Mars for another three years when she woke up in _The Last Order_ manga. What is the net result of this? Alita is going to get stronger earlier because she'll start remembering more and more of her lost memories of Panzer Kunst. Also, for those of you wondering, Naruto has been travelling in the more northeastern areas of the Badlands so he is more familiar with them than the much bigger west where Alita has been for years. That's why he knows about fueling points like Pit Stop that Alita doesn't. See you next time. Blue out. 3/21/19


	3. Chapter 3

_**Naruto: Gun Dream**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Battle Angel Alita

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter took a little bit longer than planned since I've been rereading Battle Angel to brush up on my source material. Here is chapter 3. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language

Last time:

**_Scorched Earth's Camp_**

_Furnace was listening to one of his Lieutenants. "Our monitor signal from Tungsten just flat lined sir….Tungsten is dead."_

_The one armed cyborg sighed. "Tungsten took out an entire __division__ of armored fighting vehicles virtually bare handed with that monstrous Cyclops body of his. He could even control the weather. What could have possibly defeated him?"_

_"Maybe it was the __Angel of Death__." said one of his men worriedly._

_Furnace growled, "I'll hear no more superstitious talk about her! Are you fighting men or frightened children?" His men straightened up but Furnace was worried. '__Maybe it actually __**was **__the so called __**Angel of Death**__….__'_

_…._

**_Naruto and Alita's Camp_**

_It was close to midnight. Naruto and Alita were sitting beside the Interceptor looking up at the night sky. The lovely cyborg said, "It's a shame that idiot Tungsten didn't know anything pertaining to our mission out east other than his unit was supposed to take Factory Farm 28. I guess killing him was probably better than turning him over to the G.I.B. That would have been a fate worse than death….But then again he knew about weather control technology and that alone made him dangerous." She shook her head. "This whole deal leaves a bad taste in my mouth."_

_Naruto looked over at Alita and said, "Any time you are a scout travelling into unknown territories you are bound to face uncertainty. Sometimes your side is in the right but sometimes they are in the wrong. That weather control technology is dangerous in the wrong hands but who are we to judge? If you hadn't executed him Zalem would have eventually."_

_The TUNED Agent looked at Naruto and saw a glimmer of something ancient in his blue eyes….She saw it in her own brown eyes every time she looked in the mirror….Eyes that had seen countless battles and still kept going…._

_"Naruto, where were you born?" asked the petite woman. _

_The blonde looked surprised for a moment and then smiled softly. "I was born in a place called Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves in Japan. It was a good place to live but it's gone now. What about you Alita? Where were you born?"_

_Alita pointed towards a red point in the sky floating serenely among the stars. "I'm pretty sure I was born on that red dot….Mars…."_

_Sitting under the starlight; the two tired warriors said no more. The peaceful noises of the night in the desert were all they needed…._

_…._

**Chapter 3**

**Badlands, Kuma Ninja Clan Outpost E.S. 588 (2544 C.E.)**

Furnace and his men were marching east straight across the desert Badlands towards a shaft a chromium steel sticking straight out of the ground that was a marker for the area. That's when they saw a single individual standing there waiting for them. It was a cyber ninja. The men of Sherman's Brigade looked a bit uneasy but Furnace held up his only hand in a 'stop' motion. His men came to a halt and the black painted cyborg trudged forward and said, "I'm Furnace of Sherman's Brigade. I'm here to pay the toll for my men to cross Kuma Clan Territory."

The ninja said in a hissing voice, "I am Hebi. It looks like the majority of your men are missing Furnace….That and you're missing an arm…." The cyber ninja chuckled. "Seems like you've seen better days. Where's Sherman?"

The one armed cyborg wanted to growl but said, "Sherman is dead. He crossed swords with a blonde _monster_ and the _Angel of Death_. He lost."

"Hmmm…." pondered the ninja. "The blonde took your arm too?"

"How did you know?" asked Furnace in surprise.

Hebi said amused, "We know many things that you do not."

The rotund cyborg asked, "Who is he then? If you know then-"

"Chips for passage first." said the cyber ninja curtly. "For this information….I'll have to get someone for you to talk to."

Furnace grumbled and handed over the agreed chips to cross the Kuma Ninja Clan Territory. Then he said, "What about the blonde? He's a serious threat…."

….

**Kuma Clan Enclave**

The Head of the Kuma Clan sat in mediation when one of his kunoichi followers came up and kneeled before him. She said, "Master Kame; Hebi has sent us news about Sherman's Brigade."

Kame asked, "Are they unwilling to pay for passage Hato? That could be a problem."

Hato shook her head. "No Master. It seems they had a run in with the _Angel of Death_ and the _Hokage_."

"They should be praising the gods that any of them are left alive then." said Kame. '_What would possess the Hokage to team up with the Angel of Death from Zalem?_' "How many are left according to Hebi?"

"There are only thirty seven of the original two hundred Master." answered Hato. "Their leader Sherman and the giant Cyclops named Tungsten are not among them."

The old Master stated, "I cannot say that I am surprised given who they were up against. I am curious as to why this was brought to my attention so quickly though."

The kunoichi replied, "Hebi sent me because their current leader Furnace wants information on the Hokage. Hebi is not willing to negotiate with them about such a….delicate topic."

"Hebi is correct in his thinking." said Kame. "Fetch Taka and bring him to me Hato. I will instruct him on how to deal with this Furnace character."

"As you command Master." acknowledged Hato as she vanished….

….

**Kuma Ninja Clan Outpost**

Furnace was wondering just what the hell the cyber ninja was doing. Hebi told him to wait with his men for an information broker to arrive and then the ninja stood there by the chromium steel marker doing nothing. Furnace was about to go back over to Hebi to see what he was up to. '_Damn these cyber ninjas and their mind games. If our numbers weren't so decimated I'd_-"

Another cyber ninja popped up from nowhere and asked in a deep baritone voice, "You are Furnace?"

The rotund cyborg nearly jumped in fright. '_Where the hell did he come from?! He just appeared out of thin air!_' (Cough) "Yes, I am Furnace. Are you the information broker?"

"That would be correct." replied the ninja with a slight bow. "I am Taka and I understand you fought the _Hokage_. You seek knowledge about him, yes?"

"So Hokage is the blonde's name?" asked the one armed cyborg. "What kind of a name is that?"

Taka replied, "It is not his name but rather his title. Hokage means _Fire Shadow_ in our mother tongue. I'll give you that information for free. The rest I'm charging you for…."

….

Furnace and his men were soon on their way having gained precious little information about the Hokage or the Angel of Death. No names but basic histories of destruction and mayhem in both cases. They weren't known to have ever worked together or even met previously. The Angel of Death was an Agent of Zalem (which Furnace already knew) but the Hokage was 'just' a freelance hunter warrior (which didn't make much sense to the one armed cyborg). Furnace did learn one interesting thing though….

….

_Flashback…._

_"We are being trailed by Hokage and the Angel of Death." said Furnace. "We need to ditch them. How much would it cost to have the Kuma Clan fight them in a delaying action Taka?"_

_Taka replied, "__**No **__amount of chips would make us fight Hokage again. He has more combat potential than all of the Kuma Clan combined. You'll have to find someone else to do that fool's errand. If the Angel of Death is with him then that makes it doubly so. You should consider yourselves lucky to even be alive. Unless the Hokage is just trailing you out of curiosity then consider yourself __**dead**__." _

_Flashback end…._

….

Furnace thought to himself, '_Well, the Kuma Clan is frightened of the Hokage and they have a reputation of taking on __**anybody**__ for the right price. Taka said they fought him before so I assume they lost badly….He claimed they don't even know Hokage's actual name. I'm not sure I buy that….He acted like the Angel of Death was just as frightening. This is bad news_….'

….

**Highway**

_The next day_….

A black car was racing down a dirt and dust covered road at well over 90 kilometers per hour. The dirt it was kicking up left a billowing trail that could be seen for kilometers away….Behind it was a larger dust cloud and the sounds of animals howling….

"A pack of wild mech dogs? Really?! That's new." said Naruto as he shifted the Interceptor into a higher gear.

"It would explain why those wrecked vehicles looked _chewed up_ instead of rusted or shot up back in that town." replied Alita as she took careful aim with her TUNED rifle out the window. She smiled nastily. "Normally I like dogs but (**_BOOM!_**) I'll make an exception this time."

Naruto and Alita were driving through a ghost town when the four footed fiends sprang out of everywhere to attack them. The wild dogs had pursued them ever since. Now the blonde was speeding down the highway like a bullet. Alita originally thought the dogs were guarding something but it had become apparent that the cybernetic canines were _hungry_. Hence Alita was picking them off left and right with her rifle….

Another dog exploded after being hit with an armor piercing bullet. The beautiful cyborg growled and said, "There is no end to them Naruto! I only have so much ammunition you know."

The blonde replied, "Look for a pack leader then and kill it! They are behaving like starving pack animals."

Alita started scanning the pack of wild dogs and saw one that struck her as being big and dominant. '_That's an alpha if I ever saw one_.' thought the dark haired warrior. '_The others are orbiting around him while he sets the pace_.' She loaded a high explosive round and said, "Sorry buddy but you're going to hell…."

Firing off the lethal round Alita was quite satisfied with the results as the Alpha was blown into a thousand pieces of blood and metal. The other dogs suddenly fell back yelping in fear and the petite cyborg took a deep breath. She patted Naruto's shoulder and said, "They are breaking off Naruto. You can slow down now."

Naruto let out a breath of his own and let off the accelerator. The Interceptor gradually rolled to a stop and the blonde got out his map of the area before writing a warning that simply said, '_DANGER -Wild Dog Pack_.' The former Hokage wiped the sweat off of his brow and said, "That little joyride took us about eighty kilometers off course. We aren't going to backtrack with those dogs there. We'll have to go cross country into Kuma Clan Territory."

"Who is the Kuma Clan?" asked Alita warily. She didn't like the sound of this.

The blonde grinned. "Cyber ninjas. Dangerous ones too. They know me. We'll be able to get a night's rest there. You might have to beat a few of them senseless to prove your strength but that should be no problem for the _Angel of Death_."

Alita asked with a vicious grin of her own, "Why do I get the impression that you're looking forward to this?"

Naruto answered, "You seem pretty pent up. It will be a good way to blow of some steam." He checked his map again and asked, "Ready to go?"

She smiled. "Sure, let's go!" '_Naruto sure can read me well_.' For some reason the beautiful cyborg didn't mind that thought at all….

….

**Kuma Ninja Clan Outpost**

That evening; the cyber ninja Hebi was back on Outpost guard duty by the steel shaft marker and saw a vehicle approaching on the horizon. He couldn't see it clearly as the sun was setting behind it. Breaking out his binoculars and zooming in he saw a black car he knew very well. '_It's the Interceptor. It seems that Lord Hokage is here….Not entirely unexpected_….' He tapped the ground in code with his foot and Hato emerged. "Please inform the Master that Lord Hokage is here." he said.

Hato asked, "Is the Angel of Death with him?"

"It's impossible to tell at this range." replied Hebi. "I'll keep a lookout. Lord Hokage may just be cutting across our territory."

"Understood." said the kunoichi as she departed to see Master Kame.

….

**Kuma Clan Enclave**

Kame was quietly finishing his dinner with his wife Natsumi and daughter Akemi when Hato quietly knocked on the door of his home. The Master looked up from his tea and said, "You may enter Hato."

Hato quietly slid the door open and entered. After closing the door behind her she kneeled and said, "Forgive me for interrupting your meal Master Kame. I bring news." The Master motioned for her to continue and Hato explained, "Lord Hokage has entered our territory and Hebi immediately dispatched me to inform you."

Master Kame didn't look surprised but he instantly became alert. "Inform Hebi to welcome Lord Hokage into our Village."

"….And if he has a guest…?" asked Hato.

"His guest is welcome….for now." replied the old leader ambiguously. "I shall deal with that matter personally."

Hato nodded and vanished….

….

**Highway**

The Interceptor slowed down when Naruto spotted the chromium steel marker. He pointed it out to his companion and said, "See that gleaming metal pole Alita?" She nodded and the blonde continued. "That's the marker just inside Kuma Clan Territory. You go there to meet with the guard stationed there to pay for passage through their territory. There's an identical one at the other end. You buy a pass when you enter and hand off the pass when you leave."

"What happens if you just drive on by?" asked the lovely cyborg with fire in her eyes.

Naruto gave her a smirk and said, "Then they do everything in their considerable power to hunt you down and destroy you."

Alita had a manic grin on her face by now. "Sounds like an easy way for them to make some chips. How much do they charge per person?"

"I have no idea." answered the blonde. "When the guard told me how much it cost for me and my car two years ago I nearly laughed myself sick."

"So what happened then?" asked the dark haired warrior with a laugh.

The Hokage grinned at her. "They surrounded me and I told them they were badly outnumbered and they were about to have a **_very_** bad day…."

….

**Kuma Ninja Clan Outpost**

Hebi saw the Interceptor roll to a stop and Naruto waved at him. "Good evening Hebi." said the blonde in a jovial way. "Are those new arms? Looks like you got them replaced again since that little scuffle we had."

The cyber ninja cringed when he remembered his original mechanical arms being shredded into scraps of tinfoil when he challenged the Hokage to a fight two years ago. Thirty three members of the Kuma Clan went down that night but the Hokage didn't actually kill any of them as they were just protecting their territory. Seven still died in suicide attacks though. The blonde demolished them all with contemptuous ease.….It wasn't until Master Kame came out and faced Lord Hokage that they realized why. The village Leader took one look at the blonde ninja and pronounced him kage level on the spot…. Since then Uzumaki Naruto had proven to be a good and trusted friend to the Kuma Clan…._Which they coincidentally treated with the greatest of respect_….

"Welcome Lord Hokage." said Hebi. "As always your presence is welcome in Kuma Clan Territory. I see you have a passenger with you. Is this the Angel of Death from Zalem?" he asked looking in at the lovely cyborg.

Alita raised an eyebrow in surprise and Naruto said, "Sounds like Sherman's Brigade came through here if you know about that."

"Are you pursuing them Lord Hokage?" asked Hebi. "They are only a day ahead of you."

"I'm just trailing them for now." replied the blonde. "There is no rush to overtake them."

Hato appeared and warmly greeted Naruto, "I bid you greetings Lord Hokage. Master Kame sends you and you companion good wishes. He has offered to let you both stay in the Kuma Village for the night if you so desire." The kunoichi turned to Alita and said, "I am Hato. I welcome you Angel of Death."

The dark haired warrior smiled at the formal greeting and said, "Just call me Alita; Hato. It's nice to make your acquaintance."

The kunoichi relaxed a bit and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well Alita." She turned to Naruto and asked, "Will you and Alita be staying the night Lord Hokage?"

The blonde nodded. "Please inform Master Kame that we accept his gracious invitation Hato."

"It will be done Lord Hokage." replied Hato in a pleased tone. "Please drive your vehicle over to the storage entrance where it will be protected from the elements." Naruto nodded in understanding and Hato vanished to return to Master Kame….

….

Alita looked about at the open desert and saw nothing but wasteland for miles. Naruto put the car in gear and was driving along slowly when she asked, "So where _is_ this Kuma Village?"

The blonde replied, "Like all ninja villages it is hidden." Naruto drove the Interceptor off the dirt path and parked under the remains of a bridge in front of a roughly triangular shaped rock. Then he flashed his headlights three times. Alita was taken off guard as the rock silently rose revealing an elevator platform beneath it. The former Seventh Hokage pulled the car onto the elevator and flashed his lights three times again causing the elevator to lower as silently as it had risen….

When the elevator stopped they saw several vehicles parked there in what once must have been an underground parking garage. Lights came on to show the passageway and the beautiful cyborg was impressed. "So it's all hidden underground?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged. "As far as I know it is. I've only been shown into the 'safe' areas of the village. We are outsiders so naturally they aren't going to reveal all their secrets even if we are friendly. Unless we were to permanently join the Kuma Clan I doubt we'll ever know."

Alita smiled at the concept. "That makes sense. I guess security would have to be ultra tight in a hidden society."

"That's how all ninja villages are." said Naruto sagely.

The petite warrior was about to ask what he meant when a ninja appeared and motioned them into a parking place where Naruto turned the car off and the two warriors got out. The ninja was younger and seemed very excited. "I welcome you Lord Hokage." he said with a bow. "I am Ahiru. It is an honor to meet you." He turned to Alita and said, "It is an honor to meet you as well Lady Alita. It isn't everyday that one gets to address the Angel of Death."

'**_Lady_**_ Alita….?_' thought the dark haired warrior in surprise. Her brown eyes locked with Naruto's blue ones for a moment and his amusement was evident so she decided to just roll with the title for now. "It's nice to meet you too Ahiru."

Ahiru replied, "The pleasure is all mine. Please follow me. Master Kame awaits us."

….

**Kuma Clan Enclave**

Alita looked around at what was the 'central square' of the Kuma Clan Village where ninjas of all ages seemed to be busily working. She saw a weapons shop in particular that she wanted to explore. It was obvious that Naruto had acquired his kunai knives and some of his shuriken there. Despite the fact it was obviously a military village the underground place seemed to have a warm atmosphere that Alita liked…..She couldn't quite explain it….

Ahiru led them over to a raised platform where Master Kame sat. It was obviously a place where matters of governance were addressed. On Kame's left side stood Hato who was obviously acting in a bodyguard capacity. Hato had her facemask and hood down showing she had a very pretty face and purple hair. Naruto couldn't help but be reminded of Uzuki Yūgao from Konoha as the kunoichi was very dutiful and strong despite her very feminine charm. On Kame's right sat his daughter Akemi. She likewise had her face exposed revealing her cute features and copper hair. Her eyes had stars in them and she practically squealed, "Welcome Lord Naruto! I'm so happy to see you again."

Covering her smile, Alita thought, '_I guess even hardcore ninjas have a hormonal teenager phase_.' Then she glanced over at Hato and saw how beautiful the kunoichi was. '_I wonder if she's Naruto's type…?_' The petite cyborg frowned mentally and thought, '_Nah…_.'

Master Kame wanted to face palm at his daughter's fangirl reaction to Naruto and said, "Welcome Lord Hokage; why don't you and your companion come join me for some tea?"

Naruto smiled at the graying Master Ninja and said, "I would be honored Master Kame, allow me to introduce my friend Alita…."

….

After proper introductions were made; Naruto and Master Kame started discussing the reasons why Sherman's Brigade had so blatantly marched into Zalem territory without any apparent provocation and captured Farm 28. Alita was interested in the conversation but Akemi was glaring daggers at the dark haired warrior because she wanted the attention from Naruto that he was paying to Alita….

Master Kame suggested that Akemi take Alita over to the bar _Little Tokyo_ to get some drinks. Hato went along to watch over Akemi….and to stop the inevitable fight that was about to break out….

Naruto sighed and said; "You just want to see Alita's fighting skills Kame."

Chuckling, Kame replied, "While this is true; Akemi has a valuable lesson to learn here. She's too used to getting her way because she's my daughter. I realize she's only fifteen but still…."

….

Alita was over at the bar making herself comfortable when Akemi sat down beside her and hissed, "You just watch yourself _Angel of Death_. Just because Lord Naruto is paying attention to you doesn't mean anything. _He is_ _mine!_"

The petite cyborg thought to herself, '_Is this brat for real?_' Alita smiled meanly and said, "You're 100 years too young to go challenging me to a fight little girl. I think Naruto is a little too mature for the likes of you."

Akemi shrieked, "_Whaaaat?!_ I'm a grown woman! Who do you think you are?" Growling, the girl said, "I challenge you!"

Hato face palmed and thought, '_A little decorum….is that too much to asked Lady Akemi?_'

Alita waved the girl off. "I don't feel like fighting with you. Go away; you're spoiling my drink." '_I'd have to live another thousand years to see more bar fights than I've been in_….' thought the dark haired warrior dourly.

The copper haired girl angrily went for her sword and Hato said, "_No weapons_ Lady Akemi. You know the rules."

Akemi narrowed her eyes and set her sword on the bar. "Fine, I'll kick your ass using only taijutsu. On your feet Alita!"

Kame's daughter went for a brutal throat jab that Alita stopped _with her index finger_. The dark haired warrior got a vicious smile on her face as she set down her drink and started leaking masses of killing intent. "Big mistake little girl." hissed the Panzer Kunst user….

….

Naruto was watching from the raised platform with a flat look on his face as the _Little Tokyo_ bar exploded into a mass ninja brawl that had little to do with Akemi's tantrum or the smack down that Alita was giving the Master's daughter. Hato tried to intervene but got punched by someone else in the back and wasn't having any of that. Fifteen minutes of bodies and chairs flying and tables breaking later the dust settled and Alita and Hato (who weren't fighting each other) were the only ones left standing. Akemi and about thirty other ninjas were lying in the floor either knocked out or dazed….

"That will be enough." said Master Kame as he walked over. "As much as I enjoy fighting I declare the Lady Alita the winner over the Lady Akemi." He clapped his hands twice and said, "Everyone up. I'll be covering the damages tonight since my daughter started it all."

The bar owner sweat dropped and said, "I'll tally up a bill for you Master Kame…."

….

While Akemi slept off the ass whipping she got at home; Master Kame was chatting with Alita. "So you know the art of Panzer Kunst my dear? I'm thoroughly impressed that you didn't kill anybody."

Alita shrugged. "Even _I_ know a little restraint. That daughter of yours is going to get herself killed if she doesn't watch it though."

"Which is precisely why she needed a little humiliation." replied Master Kame. My child is good for her age but no one in the Kuma Clan has ever _truly_ picked a fight with her because she's my daughter. I hope this will serve as a wakeup call for Akemi before she gets injured seriously or worse." '_Besides, her infatuation with Naruto can be grating on one's nerves_….' Kame turned to Hato and said to the purple haired kunoichi, "Why don't you take Lady Alita over to the oil springs for a soak? I think the two of you deserve a little luxury after that brawl."

Alita looked a bit surprised but Hato seemed quite pleased. "Thank you Master Kame." said the purple haired woman. "Come Lady Alita. A good bath in the oil springs will do wonders for your machine body. It always does mine and I'm a soft machine type also."

….

**G.I.B. Control, Zalem **

"Chief Bigott Eizenburg to A-1; come in." growled the Chief for the umpteenth time. He turned to Doctor Russell*① and said, "A-1 has vanished Doctor. All attempts to contact her have failed and satellites cannot detect any traces of her. She hasn't even responded to the emergency shock switch.*② Outside of her death, can you think of anything that would cause this Russell?"

Doctor Russell stroked his mustache and said, "There were no signs of combat in the area and according to the recordings they simply parked the car to protect it from the elements a few hours ago. All I can suggest is waiting until morning to try to contact Alita again. There may be a strange combination of weather or radioactive forces that are blocking our communications."

"It makes me wonder about this Naruto character…." thought Chief Bigott aloud.

Russell smiled. "That sounds like you actually care about her sir."

Eizenburg growled, "Perish the thought."

….

**Kuma Clan Enclave, Oil Springs**

"It's a combination of natural and synthetic lubricants heated to just the right temperature for both full body cyborgs and partials." explained Hato. "It's wonderfully relaxing and stops the aches and pains from your body sensors and more importantly stops any creaking or squeaking of joints that can give you away on a stealth mission. Consider it a luxury hot bath for cyborgs."

Alita soon stripped out of her combat gear revealing her silver-gray body. She stepped out into the clear oil before sitting herself down in it and inhaling the scented vapors. '_This is wonderful_….' thought the dark haired cyborg. '_I've never experienced anything like this. This would be a huge hit at the Scrapyard_.' Alita knew what hot water baths were like but any cyborg with sense didn't stay in too long due to corrosion issues….

While the petite warrior was musing she was joined by Hato who settled in opposite of Alita in the pool. Hato sighed and said, "Ah, these oil baths are heavenly. It's so rare I get one that I forget how nice they are."

The two women soaked for a bit enjoying the baths when Hato asked, "So how did you meet Lord Naruto, Alita?"

Alita opened her brown eyes and replied, "I was on a mission and he and I joined forces against a common enemy. After that we hit it off and became friends."

"Nice." replied the purple haired kunoichi. "I met Lord Naruto shortly after he wrecked my Father's assault team two years ago."

"He beat up your Dad?" asked the petite warrior in surprise as Hato nodded. "….And you still like Naruto?"

Hato blushed slightly. "….Isn't that every kunoichi's dream?"

Alita raised an eyebrow in confusion. '_This kunoichi has interesting tastes_….'

….

**Guest Lodging**

Alita was presented with a traditional sleeping yukata and shown to the guest room where she would be staying. The dark haired warrior blushed slightly when she saw she was sharing a room with Naruto. The blonde was already fast asleep in the low light and Alita quietly slipped into the futon beside Naruto's own. He was lying on his back and the lovely cyborg smiled softly as she drank in his features with her eyes. '_He's normally so guarded_." she thought. '_Naruto looks so boyish when he's sleeping like this_.' The blonde was obviously sleeping deeply. '_What are you dreaming about Naruto?_' wondered Alita….

….

_Dreamscape…._

_Naruto was sitting in his home in Konoha having dinner with Hinata. She was a wonderful cook. Hinata smiled and said, "How is it Naruto-kun? I decided to change the recipe a bit."_

_The blonde grinned and said, "It's delicious Hinata-chan! Your food is always wonderful."_

_Her smile lit up the room and the two of them ate quietly together. "So what's it like having a machine body?" asked Hinata. "Does it feel different?"_

_Naruto wiped his mouth with a napkin. "It took a while to get used to but now I just think of it as my own." Then he gasped and looked down. He was in his Imaginos cyborg body instead of his flesh and blood one. "H-Hinata-chan?" he asked in fright._

_Hinata smiled as she admired her husband. "You're very handsome my love. I've been watching over you from the Pure Land with all of our family. We always wondered why you never arrived but it turns out your brain never truly died." The blonde looked at her in shock and Hinata continued. "You've had time to mourn me Naruto-kun. We promised each other that if one of us died that the other would move on…."_

_The blonde cyborg answered sadly, "I was ninety years old when you died. I didn't want to move on. I wanted to be with you in the Pure Land."_

_The Byakugan Princess smiled, "And now you're young again. You could easily live for centuries in that new body. I don't want you to be alone Naruto-kun. You need to look forward instead of back. I love you. When you get to the Pure Land I'll be waiting for you." The dream started to fade and Hinata said, "Bring your new wife too…."_

_"Hinata-chan…!" whispered Naruto…._

_End Dream…._

….

Naruto woke up on his side and saw Alita's brown eyes looking contentedly into his blue ones. "Good morning." said the beautiful cyborg with a smile. She propped her head up and said, "You must have had some dream this morning. You kept whispering in Japanese and saying Hinata-chan….Who is that?"

The blonde looked like a deer in the headlights for a moment but then said, "She was my one and only wife in my first life...my soul mate."

Alita saw the raw emotion in his eyes and felt sad herself. She gave him a weak smile. "….What was she like?"

"Hinata was a very strong and sweet kunoichi." replied Naruto. "We had two beautiful children together…." His blue eyes faded and he added, "They've all been dead for centuries now. It was so long ago…."

The dark haired warrior wanted to reach out and hug Naruto to console him but she felt a bit torn as to whether or not she should do so. She asked, "Where you dreaming about the past then?"

Naruto sat up and said, "No….she was telling me she and my family were waiting for me in the Pure Land….She told me not to stay alone because I have a whole new life ahead of me….Hinata-chan was always so selfless like that…." He shed a tear and said, "Maybe it's time to move forward instead of look back."

Alita thought about Hugo briefly and said, "She sounds very kind. That sounds like good advice."

The Hokage gave a watery smile to Alita and replied, "Yes, it does…."

….

**G.I.B. Control, Zalem **

Doctor Russell sat at the Control Station when Alita's signal suddenly came back online. "This is G.I.B. Control to Agent A-1. Doctor Russell here; can you read me Alita?"

"_I read you loud and clear Doctor Russell_." replied Alita. "_I lost contact with the G.I.B. last night around sunset. What happened?_"

The graying Doctor sighed in relief and said, "We don't know. I was hoping you could shed some light on the subject."

The TUNED Agent answered; "_We pulled under a small bridge section to protect us from the wind and camped out overnight. I just got up to report in and found the communications link was dead. Everything seems fine now though_."

Russell smiled. "Well, no harm done. The main thing is you are alive and well A-1."

Alita said, "_We're going to eat breakfast and hit the road heading east. Are there any unusual weather patterns or activities I need to know of?_"

"Everything looks good here Alita." replied the Doctor. "We'll keep you informed."

"_Roger that; A-1 out_." said the dark haired warrior.

" . Control out." answered the scientist.

….

**Highway**

"I told you the scramblers the Kuma Clan has work." said Naruto with a smirk. "As far as Zalem is concerned you fell off the face of the earth."

Alita nodded. "This could be a real life saver for me later." She smiled at Naruto. "I kind of like the Kuma Clan."

The blonde laughed. "Master Kame has a soft spot for pretty girls that can fight well. I think your Panzer Kunst really impressed him. I wasn't expecting him to make you a _friend of the clan_ and waive you from future passage fees though."

"Well, I'm not going to complain." replied the petite woman with a grin. Then she pulled out her harmonica and asked, "How about some driving music?"

The Hokage nodded. '_She really is cute_.' thought Naruto as he put the car into gear. "Let's hit the road!"

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: Doctor Russell is a Zalem scientist who is assigned to the Ground Investigation Bureau (G.I.B.). Bigott Eizenburg originally brought Russell into the G.I.B. in order to help bring Alita into line as he was more kindly and not as stern. He has much more concern for Alita than Eizenburg and sees her as a fellow human being as opposed to a lowly surface dweller like Eizenburg does.

*②: Emergency Shock Switch: This is a button used to theoretically wake up or get the attention of a TUNED Agent (Alita) in an emergency situation but Eizenberg has used it to punish Alita as well.

Hey! Only two footnotes so the chapter doesn't look like a term paper. For those that haven't guessed we'll be seeing more of Naruto's allies of the Kuma Cyber Ninja Clan in the future. I have plans for them. There will be more action next chapter as this one was more focused on character development. See you next time. Blue out. 3/31/19


End file.
